April showers

We didn't have much rain in April this month, which is very unusual for Oregon.
But we got a lot of outside work done! We had a couple of days at the farm, along with working outside on our own yard, fixing up fences and drain pipes.

 Grandpa had a couple of bicycles for the girls to try. Little K did her best to keep up with them, but eventually she ended up with mom on the back of the pickup, going for a ride with Grandpa.

 It was a gathering sticks kind of day - a perfect job for people closer to the ground than us adults! They got a kick out of building up the burn pile. My dad cleared some land to plant new trees and he couldn't work the ground until those pesky sticks were out of the way.

 Back at home the Mr has been working on getting our drainage problems taken care of. When we get the normal amount of rain for Oregon, our backyard starts to look like a lake, along with a nice pond in the front. We have finally discovered why, but it has taken a lot of digging to figure out where the pipes were plugged. This past weekend we found an elbow in the pipe that was clogged with roots - live roots - where the pipe had come open as it settled in the ground. Whoever installed it did not attach the two sections very well.

 There was also a fence to repair. Y'know, after 20 some years, things just start to fall apart; or get knocked over by the wind. Thankfully it was only one section that needed fixing, and we only had to buy concrete, since we had some posts in the garage already, and we could re-use the slats. It was a good learning opportunity for the kids too - I'm always looking for those!

 Even little K wanted to help.

 And finally, as April comes to an end, we had Little K's birthday. Turning 5 is such a big deal. She's no longer a baby. She's learning to read, and to tie her shoelaces, and soon to ride a bike without training wheels.

 Of course, the certain Princess from a certain *cold* movie was the star of this birthday. My girls loves that movie still, and would watch it daily if we would let her. Unfortunately, we are long over the songs. Except for the snowman. I could listen to him some more.